Non-take up of social protection benefits: what it means for mothers

01.07.22

UN Geneva, Human Rights Council - MMM welcomes the call by the Special Rapporteur on Poverty to address non take-up of social protection benefits, providing avenues for reflection in the case of mothers and their children in relation to Early Childhood Development.

The June 2022 report of the SR on poverty on ‘Non-take-up of rights in the context of social protection’​ raises a critical question: ‘what good is social protection when precisely those it is destined to uplift are prevented from enjoying it?’

This question is particularly relevant for mothers and other unpaid caregivers. Child poverty can have a long-term impact on children’s health and education, and be costly in the long run. It is therefore crucial to address non-take-up by poor families, especially single mothers.

The aim of MMM’s statement was to complement the report with 2 additional points.

  1. The time poverty suffered by parents, mothers in particular, who have to juggle unpaid domestic and care work with paid work, can also be a cause of non-take-up and must be considered and addressed. Access to child benefits and other social protection benefits for families should be as much as possible facilitated – or even better, made universal
  2. Cross-sectorial approaches could help address non-take-up, in particular in the case of social protection supporting early childhood development – including maternity protection and child benefit. The moment of birth is key, not only to sensitise parents on child health issues, but also on the importance of birth registration and availability of social protection benefits. Since globally, 83% of births are now attended by a skilled health worker, these professionals could be trained to do so. Child health books can be another useful tool, not only to record child health data and give key child nutrition and healthcare information to parents, but also to provide guidance on birth registration and social protection benefits for families

We at MMM fully support the call to governments by the Special Rapporteur to urgently address non-take-up; but would urge non-take-up by families with children to be prioritised.

As reminded in the report, social protection is an investment, not an expense to be minimized – and in the case of children, it is the best investment a country can make.

MMM Statement

The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and Human Rights presented his annual report during the 50th session of the Human Rights Council, which took place in June 2022 at the UN in Geneva.

See also our answer to the call for input to the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on human Rights and Poverty on ‘Social protection: a reality check’.

 

Most read articles

Mothers, unpaid care work and global crises – connecting the dots

02.07.24

UN New York / HLPF - Register now to join us online at this year’s High Level Political Forum side-event.

Lire plus

Time Poverty and the Motherhood Penalty
Unveiling Economic and Social Injustices

09.07.24

Mothers play an essential role in families by ensuring their loved ones are nourished, educated, and healthy, but their unpaid care work often leads to economic and social injustices, known

Lire plus

Envisioning care as a common thread to global crises

29.07.24

UN New York - Our virtual HLPF side-event brought together experts to shed light on how the various global crises we face (in particular climate change and other environmental crises,

Lire plus
See all the articlesof the category

Latest News from MMM and its Network

Recognising Unpaid Care Work and addressing Its Unequal Distribution: A Key Step in Tackling Informal Employment

15.06.25

UN Geneva – At the 113th International Labour Conference (ILC), Make Mothers Matter (MMM) brought the perspectives of mothers and other unpaid caregivers to two key agenda topics: the transition to formal emp

Read more

Make Mothers Matter calls for action on Maternal Mental Health at EU Summit

07.06.25

As part of European Mental Health Week, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) András Kulja and Zoltán Tarr (both EPP) hosted a two-day Mental Health Summit on Prevention and Recovery in Modern Society 

Read more

Parents as Partners in Education
Our member EPA: Celebrating 40 Years of Advocacy

07.06.25

Make Mothers Matter was delighted to celebrate and participate in the 40th Anniversary and International Conference of our member, the European Parents’ Association (EPA), hosted by the European Economic and

Read more

Motherhood and the Beijing Agenda – a retrospective

10.05.25

UN New York – The 69th UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) marked the thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA). This landmark global policy document was adopted

Read more

Child and family poverty a political choice not an inevitability

28.04.25

Make Mothers Matter in a joint statement of the EU Alliance for Investing in Children, calls for a Europe that protects every child, by aligning EU’s policies and budget to eradicate child poverty.

Read more

Milestones for Mothers: First Oral Statement and Landmark UN Recognition at CSW69

17.04.25

UN New York – At this year's 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), two significant moments highlighted our ongoing fight for mothers' rights. We emphasised how mothers continue to fac

Read more